Next up for the month is a return to that ragtag fleet
that’s being chased by really attractive robots. Yes, it’s Season 3 of
Battlestar Galactica. It aired between October of 2006 and March of 2007.
Unlike the previous season, this one was more like a regular TV show since
there wasn’t a big break between episodes. At this point, I was all in with
BSG. With Season 2 ending the way it did, you know I had to come back for more.
Luckily, little got in the way of my watching. I might had missed three or four
episodes overall. I don’t know why but this season took a while for me to re-watch.
Hmm… so how do I describe this season without revealing what
happened at the end of Season 2? That’s simple; I don’t. So, Season 2 ended
with fleet finding a habitable world and colonizing it. A year later, the Cylon
fleet finds them. What ships that were left airborne jumped out of there and whoever
was left on New Caprica was in the hands of the Cylons. The Cylons end up being
“benevolent rulers” over humanity. During that time, some of our regulars like
Tigh, Tyrol, and Anders (who’s more or less a regular) start a resistance
against the oppressors.
Season 3 begins as six months have passed and New Caprica is
still under occupation. While things start to get worse on the planet, the
fleet finally returns to save the people. Even though the fleet is reunited and
gets back on the path to Earth, there was a heavy cost and a lot of damage was
done. Throughout the season, the Galactica tries to look for more clues to the
13th Colony. The fleet also has to deal with what the Cylon
Occupation did to them. We also learn even more things about the Cylons and
find out that there are five more models that haven’t been revealed yet. As
usual, the end of the season brings even more questions as well as the return
of someone who was lost during the season.
PROS
This is still cool.
I think I’m a broken record by now in saying this, but there
were a lot of good things in this season. We got a powerful story arc with the
Cylon Occupation of New Caprica. We learned about how things were on New
Caprica and how the rest of the fleet dealt with not being able to swoop in and
save the day. While I wish the arc lasted for a couple of more episodes, what
we got was easily one of the highlights of the show. I liked that its effects
lingered throughout the season. Folk like Tigh and Starbuck were left shattered
by events that took place during that time. It was something that didn’t leave
people’s mind especially when a certain former President shows back up in the
fleet.
After that important arc, we more or less got back to
business with finding Earth and surviving on the frontier. We got a few stories
that centered on different things like workers’ rights, dealing with diseases,
and a weird love quadrilateral… more on that below. While there was more
“filler” this time around, that wasn’t a bad thing. It was nice to see other
parts of the fleet get some focus instead of the political/military side. The
Cylons also get more things added to their repertoire. We finally see the
interior of a Cylon Baseship, we learn more about their religion, and we find
out about five hidden Cylon models that even most of them know little about. We
also find out who they are towards the end of the season and it’s somewhat of a
shock.
I hate to say it but I think I like Tigh more than Kara this season.
As usual, the main cast and supporting players are solid. The
standouts for me this time were Adr. Adama (as usual), Helo, Gaius Baltar,
Dualla, Tyrol, and strangely enough, Tigh. It feels like Tigh and Starbuck have
switched places for me. Yeah, Tigh’s an ass, but at least he’s the cool kind
this season. Pres. Roslin, Six, Athena (Helo’s Boomer), and Anders were also
nice. As for Lee and Starbuck, they were fine but I’ll touch on those two
later. We also have a major death in the family and it’s as shocking as it can
be. I won’t spoil it here, but I’ll say that “Maelstrom” was definitely a
watch.
Baltar: How are you so cool?
Lampkin: It's a habit, mate.
There aren’t too many big guest stars this season. Lucy
Lawless returns and goes down an interesting path. Bruce Davison (Senator
Kelley from the X-Men movies) and Carl Lumbly (Martin Manhunter from Justice
League) show up in an episode or two. One big surprise for me was Max Sheppard’s
role as Romo Lampkin, Baltar’s lawyer. The guy wasn’t around long but he made
the trial plot a pretty entertaining ride. The special effects were good as
usual and the fights rocked. The battle for New Caprica is still awesome.
Finally, the music is still on point and kicks so much butt.
CONS
While this season is good, I think this is when the cracks
started to show. When you compare it to the previous two seasons, it comes up a
little short. For me, it really hits when we get to the midpoint of the season.
There are good episodes, but some plot points didn’t really hit. I don’t know
what where it starts but some things didn’t latch on as much this time. It may
have had to do with the writing since everything else was solid.
A major sour point for me was the “romance” between Lee and
Kara. It was hinted at during the previous two seasons, but we then get to its
execution and it left little to be desired. It didn’t help that they were both
married to other folk. While the acting felt genuine, I just wasn’t a fan of
that whole plot. There were also some nice bits involving Dualla that didn’t
make it to the actual episodes. She shared moments with these two and they were
pretty good. I wished they stayed in.
Yay... their love plot sucked.
I've seen better and I am fat!
One thing I noticed about the season is that the action was
kind of minimal. Outside of the major moments (the Occupation arc and a handful
of episodes), there wasn’t a lot of momentum. A lot of time was spent on ships
and the Galactica. While that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, it did make
things seem slow at times. I know BSG isn’t this big action fest but the
previous seasons did vary up the action and drama well. This season didn’t and
I think that’s why it took me a while to get through it. Other than all the
things I mentioned and some small nitpicks, this was still a good season.
FAVORITE EPISODES
Finally, here are my favorite episodes from the season:
1. The Cylon Occupation (The Occupation, Precipice, and
Exodus) – Yeah, I’m including the whole Occupation arc here. It’s one of the
highlights of the season and the show as a whole.
2. Collaborators – A group of former Resistance fighters
secretly execute people who colluded with the Cylons on New Caprica.
3. Unfinished Business – The crew takes some down time for
some boxing matches and we find out about how the year on New Caprica
(pre-Occupation) went for some folk.
4. The Eye of Jupiter/Rapture – The fleet find a new piece
that’ll help them find Earth. Unfortunately, the Cylons are also looking for a
way to Earth and they clash.
5. Maelstrom – Kara starts to experience weird dreams and
hallucinations. They may be connected to a destiny that she’s been told a lot
about.
6. Crossroads – As the trial of Gaius Baltar begins, the
fleet find another piece on their way to Earth. Major revelations also come
about.
………………………………………………………
In the end, this was a good season for the show. While there
were things here that didn’t work, at least each episode was done competently.
Not many good shows can say that. Well, I’m coming up on the final season for
the show. Before I get there, there is one pit-stop I have to make. Even before
I get to Razor, I think it’s time for a return to the world of Superman. Until
then, Peace, God Bless, and be careful out there. Also, if you start to hear
“All Along the Watchtower,” don’t get too freaked out. If you and three others
start singing it in unison, though, all bets are off.
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